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National Situation Update: Sunday, December 28, 2008

Homeland Security Threat Level: YELLOW (ELEVATED).

Significant National Weather

Midwest
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings are in effect till the morning for southern Illinois, southern Indiana, and western Kentucky for damaging winds in excess of 60 mph; however showers and thunderstorms will abate in the upper Ohio Valley this morning as the eastbound cold front exits the area. Some snow will fall around the western Great Lakes, with totals of up to six inches in Upper Michigan. West or west-northwest winds behind the storm will be strong and gusty around the Great Lakes with some gusts of 40 to over 50 mph during the morning hours.

South
The cold front will arrive in the Southeast today, creating showers and a few thunderstorms from eastern Tennessee and the Carolinas to the northern Gulf Coast. Ahead of the front, the area will remain warm, with highs ranging from the 70s in the eastern Carolinas to the low 80s in parts of Florida; record highs are possible. The remainder of the South will be cooler, ranging from the upper 40s in northeast Arkansas and parts of Tennessee to the mid 60s in south Texas. On Monday, the South will be dry except for showers across the coastal Carolinas, southern Georgia, southern Alabama and northern Florida as the cold front's progress slows down.

Northeast
A windy cold front will move through the Northeast, accompanied by scattered rain. By the afternoon, winds across northern New York could gust to near 55 mph. Highs will be 10 to 20 degrees above average, ranging from near 40 in northern Maine to the low to middle 70s in southeast Virginia.

West
Blizzard Warnings remain in effect through the morning for southern Montana and eastern Oregon for very strong winds combined with recent snowfall. Rain will continue from western Washington to northern California; the heaviest downpours are expected in northwest California, where rain totals could approach six inches in some coastal mountain locations. Strong gusty southwest winds will accompany the rain. A few feet of snow is forecast across the interior Northwest, where snow levels will range from 2,000 feet in the Washington Cascades to 5,000 feet in northern California. (NOAA, NWS and Media Sources)

Oahu Hawaii Power Outage Update

Restoration efforts continue on Oahu, where lightning strikes on the evening of December 26 caused power generation stations on the island to shut down, leaving as many as 295,000 residents without service. As of 10:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, December 27, the Hawaii Civil Service Office reported 95% of Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) customers had power restored. HECO teams are working to restore service to the remaining pocket outage areas. All major hospitals and airports are fully operational, telephone and cellular services are operational, and 90 % of traffic signals are functioning. State Civil Defense and the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Emergency Management Emergency Operations Centers continue to monitor the situation. There have been no requests for federal assistance. (Region IX, NICC, Hawaii Civil Defense)

Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG)

No activity.(FEMA HQ)

Tropical Weather Outlook

Western Pacific:
No activity affecting United States territories.  (NOAA, HPC, National Hurricane Center, Central Pacific Hurricane Center and the Joint Typhoon Warning Center)

Earthquake Activity

A 4.5 magnitude earthquake was reported today at 2:13 a.m. EST in Central Alaska, 91 miles NNW of Anchorage at a depth of 55.1 miles. FEMA Region X received no reports of injuries or damage. (USGS, Earthquake Hazards Program, Alaska Earthquake Information Center, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Centers, FEMA Region X)

Preliminary Damage Assessments

No new activity (FEMA HQ)

Disaster Declaration Activity

No new activity (FEMA HQ)